He cut a check last year to Sen. John Cornyn’s campaign account but remains neutral in his colleagues’ reelection contest.

As a general rule, he’s said over and over, he’ll stay out of contested primaries.

But this week, the tea party freshman threw his formal support to four members of the Texas Supreme Court who are seeking reelection: Chief Justice Nathan Hecht and Justices Jeff Brown, Jeff Boyd and Phil Johnson. Only Boyd is running unopposed in the March 4 primary.

“I wholeheartedly endorse all of them. These justices are judicial conservatives, and we can depend on them to uphold the law,” Cruz posted on Facebook.

Spokeswoman Catherine Frazier says the senator “remains unlikely to endorse in any contested congressional primaries” but felt strongly enough about the justices to weigh in.

Hecht welcomed the embrace, telling supporters in an email: “When Senator Cruz was Solicitor General of Texas, he saw the Texas Supreme Court first-hand in many cases. Because he has had a unique opportunity to watch the Court at work, I am especially honored that he has expressed confidence in me as Chief Justice.”

Hecht, who began his judicial career in Dallas, will replace Wallace Jefferson, who is stepping down to go into private practice.

Perry said he selected Hecht, who is the senior-most justice with more than 24 years on the court, because of, “his dedication to the rule of law and wealth of knowledge and judicial experience.”

The chief justice’s six-year term is up for election next year.

The pick prompted Texas Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott to laud Hecht as a good conservative pick. He and Hecht served together on the court before Abbott ran for attorney general.

Alex Winslow, executive director of Texas Watch, a consumer watchdog group that has monitored the Texas Supreme Court, said Hecht’s elevation is devastating to “everyday Texans.”

Winslow said Hecht has a long history of activist rulings that stack the deck in favor of large corporations in lawsuits.

“His appointment to the top judicial post in Texas is a blow to the notion of fairness and balance on our state’s highest court,” Winslow said.

Hecht was first elected to the court in 1988 and has won re-election four times. Hecht has authored more than 350 opinions.

Justice Hecht received a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a law degree from Southern Methodist University School of Law.